In REAL/IDEAL (Turning Utopia into Reality), 28 artists offer multiple ways to approach connections between an image of reality and an imagined reality. Featuring works by artists from Boston Center for the Arts’ Artist Studios Building along with work from 10 guest artists, curator David Guerra, director of A R E A Gallery, presents a show that articulates utopian dreams and illuminates what might be possible.

Among the global scale issues present in the show, the artists approach the rise of religious fundamentalism, consumerism, human environmental interactions, race representations in media and cultural inclusion. At a personal level, the exhibition addresses concerns such as the artist’s legacy, the idea of love, resistance, ways of looking and ideas of identity and gender.

The exhibition itself challenges existing notions of curating in an attempt to reflect on the ideal exhibition. The works, although selected by David Guerra, are ultimately presented by the public who are asked to co-curate, design and share their personal narratives within the space through the gallery’s floor plan and the artwork.

REAL/IDEAL poses a final question: What is utopia: is it happiness, fairness, fulfillment or freedom? In any case, Guerra posits, it should be an imagination of a transformation, turned into attainable possibilities.